Siege of Agrigentum (271)

The Siege of Agrigentum occurred in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. Legio II Africana, commanded by Lucius Marcianus, advanced from Panormus (Palermo, Sicily) to besiege and assault the city of Agrigentum.

Legio II Africana had landed near Panormus and captured it from its garrison, which remained loyal to Quintillus during the civil war in Rome, and it advanced on to the city of Agrigentum (Agrigento). The 1,800-strong Legio II Africana laid siege to the city, which was defended by 1,040 troops, and Aurelian's forces assaulted the city and captured it with 255 losses. The fall of Agrigentum was another step towards the conquest of Sicily by Aurelian's forces, with Syracuse being the last of Quintillus' strongholds on the island.